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Rob Crain scrolled through his iPhone's camera roll, finally stopping at a picture he took on April 4, opening night at PNC Field.

The photo, taken from a concrete perch behind home plate, illustrates the rebirth of professional baseball in Northeast Pennsylvania and exemplifies what had been missing at the stadium from 2009 to 2011: excitement.

"Everyone has their cellphones and cameras out, trying to take a picture of the magical moment, the first pitch (at the newly renovated field)," said Mr. Crain, president and general manager of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, while describing the photo. "Just looking at it (the picture), you can feel the energy level, the excitement."

Driven by the $43.3 million reconstructed park and an overhauled marketing plan, the RailRiders have drawn an average of 6,188 fans per game, the franchise's highest average since 2009.

Through this season's 52 home games, about 321,781 fans have filed into PNC Field - shattering the 298,098 total during the entire 2011 season, the last year before construction.

And with 16 home games remaining entering Saturday, the franchise is on pace to reach about 420,000, well past the 400,000 mark it hasn't surpassed since 2008.

"Was I expecting to do better than 2011? Yes," said Mr. Crain, referring to the franchise's lowest attendance totals in the first 23 years at the stadium. "But surpassing that total with 20 home games left is a pretty remarkable feat."

Of course, the new ballpark helped drive the totals, as droves of fans from across the region visited Moosic this season, curious as to how the new stadium would compare to the former.

They saw the 6-foot-by-150 foot LED videoboard on the right field wall, flashing crystal clear images. They walked the 360-degree concourse, stopping at the Family Fun Zone for the inflatable children games.

But most of all, Mr. Crain wanted fans to experience the culture change.

"Our philosophy is that minor league baseball is not 72 baseball games, but 72 events," he said. "We want to create a nine-inning vacation."

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre enticed fans with its extensive promotional and giveaways schedule, adding another level of entertainment and satisfying those who have criticized the franchise's meager giveaway days since 2007, when the New York Yankees moved their triple-A affiliate to the area.

"You see kids and even adults walking around in superhero outfits," said 78-year-old Joseph Mielo, referring to the franchise's theme nights. "There's a lot of excitement around here."

A season-ticket holder since the stadium opened in 1989, Mr. Mielo has observed the changes in operations and the fluctuating attendance levels from his seat - Section 22, Row 5, Seat 7.

From 2007 to 2011, attendance plummeted by 48 percent, setting all-time lows in both 2010 and 2011. Mr. Mielo didn't know the exact numbers, but he saw the empty orange seats. Each year, there was more.

"This new stadium brought people back," he said. "It's beautiful."

Randy Mobley acknowledges you can't ignore the new stadium when pinpointing reasons for the rise in attendance.

It's beautiful, he agrees. But the president of the International League, which Scranton/Wilkes-Barre belongs to, emphasized other factors, like the change in atmosphere.

He credits Mr. Crain and the RailRiders' staff with injecting energy back into the fan base, citing the various theme nights and fan-friendly environment.

"It's a night and day difference and that's evidenced by the ways fans have responded to the new ballpark," Mr. Mobley said. "You look back on some of those struggles in recent years, and it seems like it's all worth it. Fans are excited to come to games.

The struggles Mr. Mobley referenced include a drainage system that failed in June 2009 and forced the then-Yankees to cancel seven games, including consecutive home openers over the July 4 weekend.

Yankees

Already drawing larger crowds, the RailRiders saw a spike in attendance in July when two New York Yankees All-Stars, including captain Derek Jeter, came to Moosic to play in rehab games.

Upon hearing that Mr. Jeter and Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez were making rehab appearances with the RailRiders, fans from across the state flooded the ballpark.

Over the combined seven games Mr. Jeter and Mr. Rodriguez played in, the RailRiders drew an average of 8,871 per game, a 24 percent increase over than the stadium's fixed seat sellout of 7,115.

Of the four games Mr. Jeter played, the stadium reached its full capacity of 10,000 twice. The RailRiders hit that mark only one other time this season - July 4.

"The reaction to that was great," Mr. Crain said about the Yankee stars. "It provided us with an opportunity to showcase the ballpark to people in this area.

"Maybe someone had wanted to come see it, but hadn't yet. This gave them the excuse to come do so."

Room to improve

Despite the surge in attendance, this season's totals - expected to hover around 420,000 - likely won't approach any of the marks set from 1989 to 1997, or 1999 to 2002.

And though Scranton/Wilkes-Barre isn't in the cellar in terms of average attendance among International League teams, the franchise falls in the bottom half.

Of the 14 teams, the RailRiders sit at No. 9 in attendance, averaging about 2,700 less than the 8,832 fans the Lehigh Valley IronPigs see per game, according to the league website.

"That's a tough comparison because we don't have the market size to compete with others," Mr. Crain said. "I think the Colorado Springs (Sky Sox) and us are the two smallest markets of all 30 Triple-A teams.

"Even Lehigh Valley is a much bigger market."

About 647,232 people reside in Northampton and Lehigh counties, the region surrounding the IronPigs' Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, according to U.S. Census data. Some 535,355 people live in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties combined, data showed.

"It's just not apples to apples," Mr. Crain said.

Still, it might be worth looking at Lehigh Valley's business model.

After drawing about 600,000 fans in their first season, the IronPigs have seen a steady increase in attendance, jumping to about 640,000 in their second year and coming just shy of 700,000 in 2012, general manager Kurt Landes said.

He said staff members during the first year spent a great deal of time learning the logistics and operations of the new ballpark, things you only have to do once.

Heading into the second year, officials focused more on improving the ballpark's hospitality and marketing group ticket sales.

"You really have to invest in the facility, so it doesn't become old quick," Mr. Landes said. "Last year, we added two new seating areas: the Hot Corner and Bacon Strip, to keep things new for the fans. This place looks as beautiful as it did Opening Day in 2008."

While he declined to disclose next year's plan, Mr. Crain promised to keep the post-game fireworks and another full promotional calendar next season, loaded with different theme nights.

But he also preached the importance of upgrading facilities and introducing new entertainment ideas - ways to draw fans even when the allure of a brand new park fades.

"Staying status quo won't be an option," he said, though he declined to divulge any of the early ideas. "We plan to be bigger and better next year."

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